Winning
by ANarrativeCloud
Summary: "Ne, Mako-chan. Why doesn't Haru-chan care about winning?" Nagisa asks. Fluff. Elementary times.


**Winning**

**A/N Yo! Welcome to my first fic for Free!dom. Haha. It's a nice anime, if you ignore all the implications and dismiss them a nothing more than just implications. :)) They're all so adorable.**

**Oh, also, the majority of this fic is based on the light novel 'High Speed!' where Free! is based on. :)) **

==0==0==0==0==

The Iwatobi Swim club was lively, there were swimmers of different ages around and it made Makoto a little nervous, but he chose not to pay attention to it. There were a lot of guards and only members were allowed inside and he knew that safety came first if anything ever happened.

"Ne, Mako-chan..."

"What is it, Nagisa?"

"Why doesn't Haru-chan care about winning?"

Makoto hummed thoughtfully. He had never really wondered why Haru didn't. Haru loved water to a fault and even though that was one reason, he was pretty sure that it wasn't the only reason. He'd never really cared to ask since he had always associated Haru with those habits and quirks and he didn't really mind. Haru was Haru after all.

"How about we ask Haru himself?"

And they did. It wasn't helpful in the slightest.

"I just don't." Haru replied. Then dived back in the pool.

So much for that.

"There _has_ to be a reason!" Nagisa stated with puffed cheeks. "Haru-chan just_ can't_ not _want_ to win! Even _I_ want to win my competitions! I swim faster when competing, too!"

"I don't know..." Makoto replied unsurely.

"Ah! How about we ask Rinrin?"

"You think he'd know?" Inwardly, though, Makoto thought it was unlikely. He had known Haru longer after all. Makoto probably knew Haru better than anyone. And vice versa. Haru had never been expressive but he'd already started picking out little twitches that screamed out what Haru was thinking. It was very convenient.

"Ah! Mako-chan! Rinrin's here!" The blonde smiled widely as he bounded toward the aforementioned redhead who was preparing to dive.

Makoto winced. That wouldn't turn out well.

"Rinrin!"

The redhead jolted in surprise as he fell into the water rather ungracefully. Makoto barely managed to restrain his snicker. Nagisa had less constraints in shameand burst out laughing.

"Don't laugh! It was your fault that I fell in the first place!" Rin complained with a rather luminescent blush.

"Sorry, sorry." Nagisa had—rather unconvincingly—apologized, a wide smile still on his face.

"So what was it about?" Rin asked as he lifted himself up the pool.

"What was what about?" Nagosa replied innocently.

"The reason you called me… _loudly_."

"Ah! _That._ I was going to ask you if you knew the reason why Haru-chan doesn't care about his time or winning. Mako-chan says you probably know why." He _didn't. _

"_Hah_? Nanase?" Rin looked to him in confirmation and he merely smiled.

"Yup."

Rin shrugged. "Dunno. I'm wondering about that myself."

"Any theories you'd like to share?" Nagisa whispered conspiratorially.

Rin looked anywhere except their eyes. Did he know something? Makoto felt a brief feeling of disappointment when

"I'm not sure, and it would be rude to assume."

"Tell us! Tell us!" Nagisa stared at him with those too big eyes. _Damn._ Rin thought. Why did Nagisa have pull that one?

"Um... Has Nanase ever lost a race longer than 100m? Against someone our age, I mean." He started.

"Um. No?" Makoto answered unsurely. "Never." He confirmed after a moment of thought.

"That's probably the reason."

"Eh?"

"He has never really... lost, has he? In a sense of the word."

"No." Makoto said in realization. Then...

"Wait! I don't understand! Can you explain more, Rinrin?"

"Don't call me that."

"Rin-chan, then. Explain, please?"

"I'd like to hear it too." Makoto piped up.

"I mean," Rin scratched his cheek in slight embarrassment. "He's never really lost, so he wouldn't really want to win. It's probably natural for him. I look up to him you know." Nagisa grinned as Rin started rambling. " His swimming is so graceful and beautiful without the forced manner that most swimmers have that I—uh, yeah. I mean, I keep winning against him in 50m free," Rin's tone sounded a little frustrated here. ",but that's only because he's never really liked the 50m races. My only guess is that he hates short distance races since the time it takes for him to complete them makes the time he spends on water shorter. Probably." Makoto blinked. Haru didn't like short races?

Rin, on the other hand, was surprised. They hadn't noticed? It had been pretty obvious to him. Or maybe that was just because he always competed against Nanase.

"So..." Nagisa said slowly. "Haru-chan doesn't like to win because he'd never had a reason to like it? Or want it?"

Rin sniffled. "I'm not sure, really. It's just a guess." He stretched and moved to leave. "I'm going back to swim, 'kay?"

Rin opened the door to see Haruka standing there with a blank expression on his face.

"Ah, Nanase! You surprised me." Rin smiled and acted as naturally as possible. He hadn't heard anything, had he?

"Did you mean it?" Haru stated bluntly, his eyes boring into the redhead's.

"Eh?"

"What you said."

"What did you hear?"

"Everything."

"I meant it...?" Rin said unsurely. What was Nanase...

"You look up to me?" There was a bit of a smug smirk in his voice.

"Wha—NO!"

"You meant it, Rinrin! You sounded so honest!" Nagisa grinned mischievously. "Very veeeeery honest!"

"I, myself, was convinced." Makoto added, his smile widening.

"You-you guys! You're teaming up against me!"

"So did what Rin say click or anything, Haru-chan?"

Haruka shrugged. "It sounded right."

"Wow, Rinrin. You were spot on!" Nagisa showered him with praises. "Your good at this! Hour about you try to become a psychoman or something?"

"Psychologist." Rin corrected.

"See! You know a lot!" The blonde grinned and stretched as he went back towards the pool. "Mystery solved! Lets get back! I want to practice my strokes!"

Makoto followed thoughtful.

"Thank you." Haru said quietly.

Rin tilted his head. "For what?"

Haruka smiled softly.

"I don't know."


End file.
